


I'll Figure It Out

by Evitcani



Series: Living and Dying Beneath the Veil [5]
Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Gen, Post-Canon, taako is a dad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-11
Updated: 2017-04-11
Packaged: 2018-10-17 13:38:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10595106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Evitcani/pseuds/Evitcani
Summary: Angus watches his hero become his dad.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Post-canon, probably close to where the very end is.

Angus McDonald, the world's greatest detective, only had a few things he was afraid of. He was eleven years old, just a little boy, and he no longer had a family. 

His parents had died. That was even before the calamity that left so many little kids, like him, without anyone. Being very smart and much more aware of the world than other children his age, he tried not to take it too hard as he watched everyone pack up what was left of the moon base. The Bureau had been all the family he had left. 

He clutched the umbrella close to his chest and shuffled around the packed boxes to where Taako was trying to sort through his burnt clothes. 

"Hello, sir." Angus tried to sound bright and excited. 

Taako peered up from his boxes and rubbed a smudge of ash from his nose. "Hey there lil Angles. Shouldn't you be packing to ship off planetside, homie? Cannons ain't gonna cannonball forever, yanno." 

The detective laughed softly, waving a hand while keeping the other one wrapped around the umbrella. "I already packed, sir. I don't have a lot, you see."

Being adept at expressions, he watched the corners of Taako's mouth dip ever so slightly. "Makes it easy to get back to your family, I guess. Kinda envy green bout that, pumpkin. Look at all this shit!" He spread his hands high and twirled around, skirts flying with the motion. "Most of it is burnt anyway. Just _bam_!" He snapped his fingers and fireworks shot from the boxes. 

They startled Angus badly and he jumped, then laughed. "That's very impressive, sir, but I'm- well, Lucretia found an orphanage for me. She thinks I'll be adopted very fast, sir." Taako's hands and his whole face dropped. Angus looked at his toes. "Even if there's a lot of orphans, so many people lost children, too, sir, and I'm a good kid, so- I-." He wiped at his face, not sure when it'd started raining. 

Taako's face went livid as quickly as his fingers had snapped. "She _what_?" 

Angus blinked up at Taako quickly, trying to see him through the sudden downpour. "Uhm- she- the orphanage," he babbled. "Adopted- very fast-."

The elf grabbed his hand and started dragging him to to the Director's office. Angus was suddenly afraid he was in trouble. "I- I'm sorry, sir?"

"No- no, pumpkin, it's not you. I'm-," Taako made a frustrated noise and stopped, turning to Angus. "Just stay here, okay? Need a sec." Taako opened the door to the Director's office and slammed it shut. Angus heard yelling from inside, but it was too muffled to understand. He thought about eavesdropping, but hid his face against his umbrella. Then, he heard Taako practically scream, "I'll figure it out!" It lulled back to quiet for a few minutes.

The door opened again, Taako storming out holding some papers in his hands. "S-sir?" Angus had tried not to stutter. He swallowed hard and tried again, "Sir?"

Taako folded the papers and set them in his pocket. Then, he leaned down and scooped Angus up. It was the first time he'd been carried by anyone in a long time. He clung to the elf so he didn't fall, it seemed like a very long way to go. Taako rubbed his temple with his free hand. "Look, kid, don't make me regret this, okay?"

For the world's greatest detective, Angus felt like he didn't understand anything Taako was talking about most of the time. Taako went back to his own boxes, sitting Angus on top of some storage chests. He started to pack again and Angus watched him intently. Finally, Angus held out the umbrella. "I wanted to give you this, sir. You've been so nice to me, most of the time- you know, minus those great goofs," he laughed nervously. Taako looked up, startled. "I know you lost the umbra staff, so I found this in an old storage closet, sir." 

The elf took it from Angus like it was fragile, smiling down at it. "This- This is really thoughtful, Ango. Useless, but thoughtful." He looked up like something had occurred to him, moving over to one crate and digging through what Angus firmly believed was far _too many_ scarves for one person. "Hold up, homie! I got you something, too!" He pulled out a wrinkled, old wizard's hat triumphantly and stuck it on Angus's head. "Except it's not a parting gift," he smirked. 

Angus blinked owlishly and adjusted his glasses. "Is it a, uh, goof, sir?" He started to nervously take the hat back off, worried about what fresh heck was going to besiege his head. 

Taako looked briefly hurt, then shook his head, grinning. He patted Angus on the shoulder with a closed fist once. "No, dummy, it's an apprentice's hat. For my apprentice." He stopped, looking off to the open chest of scarves. "The only one who goofed you was the Director. Telling you that you were going to an orphanage. She didn't want you to tell me before she sprung all the adoption papers on me." He turned and nodded confidently, daring Angus to call him on his lie. 

The world's greatest detective would not dare to call Taako on such an obvious lie. He sat up straighter, trying to quash the hope down in case this _was_ a goof, not Taako lying to save his pride. "S-so, I'm coming to live with you?" 

"Duh! Where else would you go? Geez, don't be so dense, Agnes. Apprentice wizards have to keep training," Taako grinned. "Can't believe you thought the Director would throw you into an orphanage like some kind of _asshole who is definitely getting poisoned macarons for Candlenights_ ," he glared over Angus's shoulder, smile turned wicked. 

Angus sunk down a little lower, not sure how serious Taako was. He understood Lucretia's decision, she'd wanted him to find a safe and loving home. "S-so, does this make you-," he almost didn't want to push his luck, "It makes you my dad, right?" 

The reaction was unguarded surprise. Angus watched the weight of the responsibility hit Taako, then determination. Small flickers in the span of a second, but Angus saw them. "Yeah, huh, guess so, pumpkin," Taako laughed, nervously. "You owe me a numero uno dad mug and an ugly tie for Candlenights from now on, my man," Taako laughed again, obviously trying to sound more like he knew what he was doing. 

The detective looked at his hands. The weather on the moon really was quite moody, he thought. Taako patted him on the head and went back to trying to figure out what was burnt and what could be salvaged. 

Angus McDonald, the world's greatest detective, only had a few things he loved. He was eleven years old, just a little boy, and he had the best dad in the universe.

**Author's Note:**

> More self-indulgent shit for my own sake. 
> 
> Feel free to follow my [Tumblr](https://evitcani-writes.tumblr.com/).


End file.
